Judit Polgar
Number of games in database: 1,769
Years covered: 1984 to 2014
Last FIDE rating: 2675(2646 rapid, 2736 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2735Overall record: +475 -287 =493 (57.5%)*
* Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
514 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

Judit Polgár is universally considered the strongest woman chess player ever. She was #1 woman player in the world for an unbroken period of over 26 years starting from the age of 12 in 1989 when she burst into the world's top 100 until her retirement from competitive chess in August 2014, aged 38, and into 2015 while her rating was still active.

She was born in Hungary in 1976. Her childhood included an extensive chess education from her father, László, and her sisters. Beginning international competition as early as 1984, Polgár first defeated an International Master in Adelaide in 1986, when she beat Dolfi Drimer, and a year later the then 11 year old girl defeated her first grandmaster, Lev Gutman. In 1988 she won the U12 Boys World Championship, and in 1990, the U14 Boys World Championship. In 1991 she became an International Grandmaster by winning the "men's" Hungarian championship and at the age of fifteen years and five months, she was the youngest grandmaster in history, breaking a record that Robert James Fischer had held for over 30 years. She has been the highest-rated woman ever since FIDE's January 1990 list, and in 2003 she entered the overall top ten. In 2005, she became the first woman to take part in the final of an open world championship cycle when she participated in the FIDE World Championship Tournament (2005). Although she finished last, her participation in this event seeded her into the 2007 Candidates playoff for the World Championship Tournament in Mexico City, but she bowed out in the Candidates Match: Polgar - Bareev (2007) by 3.5-2.5.

Polgár's career-best tournament performances include four victories at Essent (twice shared), first in London 1988, first in Varna 1988, equal first with Bareev in Hastings 1992/93, clear first at Madrid 1994, first at the Isle of Lewis 1995 (1), equal first in the 1998 US Open, first at the VAM Tournament in Hoogeveen in 1998, first at the category 16 Japfa Classic in Bali in 2000, first at the the Sigeman & Company International Tournament in Malmo, equal first at the Najdorf Chess Festival 2000, fourth in the 2001 European Championship which fielded 143 GMs in a 13-round Swiss-system tournament, first at Superstars Hotel Bali (2002), clear second at Corus at Wijk aan Zee (2003) and equal first at the 12th European Individual Championship (2011), the first time a woman has stood on the podium in this immensely competitive tournament that on this occasion attracted 167 grandmasters; her result also qualified her for participation in the World Cup (2011), where she defeated Cuban GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, Armenian GM Sergei Movsesian, and Russian GM Sergey Karjakin and Cuban GM, Leinier Dominguez Perez in the first four rounds, but lost her quarter final match against the eventual winner, Russian GM Peter Svidler, to exit the contest. She was one of the President's nominees to play in the World Cup (2013), where she faced Cuban #4 player, GM Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suarez in the first round, losing the first game and drawing the second.

Polgár represented Hungary at the (open) Olympiads in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. During that time she won two team silver medals, and an individual bronze medal, both occurring at the 2002 Olympiad and the second team silver in 2014. During the Chess Olympiad (2012) held in Istanbul, she played on board 3 scoring 7.5/10 which yielded a TPR of 2744, her best result since the Istanbul Olympiad of 2000. Her overall game results from her participation in Olympiads now amounts to 85 games (+35 =35 -15) with a winning percentage of 61.8%. She represented Hungary twice in the European Team Championships, once in 1989 and then again in 1999, on the latter occasion helping her team to its best result, a silver medal, and also winning an individual silver medal for her result on board 2.

Polgár first entered the top 100 in January 1989 at the age of 12 when her rating skyrocketed to 2555 and number 55 in the world, and she has remained in the top 100 since then. She remains the youngest player by far to enter the top 100. Her standard rating as of 1 February 2015 is 2675 making her the world's top rated woman, Hungary's #4 player, and world #66; her peak rating was 2735 in 2005, when she was ranked #8 in the world. She is rated 2646 in rapid (world #100 and Women's world #1) and 2736 (world #30 & women's world #1) in blitz.

She lives in Budapest with her husband, veterinarian Gusztáv Font, and their two children, Olivér and Hanna who were born in 2004 and 2006 respectively. In late 2012, she released her autobiography "How I Beat Fischer's Record". (3) In August 2014, she announced her retirement from competitive chess after 25 years as the top rated woman in chess. (4)

RisingChamp: <Clocked>First you said "It has nothing to do withn the point YOU made".And the next post when I ask you why there should be any connection you say"Maybe because the entire thread was based on it" So first my comment was completely unconnected with my previous comments.And now suddenly it is based upon them?

clocked: Exactly! You made the logical connection in your reply. MY contradiction was pointing out YOUR inconsistency.

1)There is a thread of discussion based on YOUR comment
2)acirce and I have been a part of this discussion
3)you return to the discussion by saying one of the 3 parties is right and implying the other 2 are wrong

Either your post should be relevant to the points we ALL were discussing OR you should not bring us into your response.

"Additionally that post mentioned everyone else on this planet as well"
Well I think Polgar is a great player regardless of what <RisingChamp> or anyone else might think. Hmmm now what does that imply and why in the world did I SINGLE YOU OUT?

RisingChamp: I singled(or doubled if you prefer)you and acirce out because you had been specifically mentioned by others.Perhaps my singling out you or Acirce was incorrect.HOWEVER that doesnt merit three argumentative and error filled posts which needlessly criticize all kinds of things I said.Since you and Acirce think Morozevich cannot be considered elite(thats what I got from all your posts)I pointed out that this is wrong.Because from the only official criterion Morozevich is easily elite and more so than others who are mentioned above him.
Now I dont see any reason why this has to have any connection with what I have said previously.I am merely agreeing with Spassky on one specific issue,which was abundantly clear from my initial post.

RisingChamp: Inconsistency is when I say one thing and then later I say something which is entirely different and infact opposite or contradictory.Now YOU admitted that you contradicted yourself-now I defy you to show me where I have been inconsistent.In other words where did I say something and then say the opposite or turn back on my stance etc.

<Since you and Acirce think Morozevich cannot be considered elite> please quote the posts

<now I defy you to show me where I have been inconsistent> You mention me -> I was following the thread -> Implies you are following the thread -> I ask how this follows the thread that includes ME -> You say it is NOT following the thread and why should it -> Return to beginning and repeat.

I did not contradict <myself>. Either you mention me with reason OR you do not. This is why I asked you <What exactly is Spassky69 "Dead right" about? > I first assumed that you included me for a reason and showed that it was therefore off thread. You corrected me as to what you were responding to thereby demonstrating that I should not be included. Then you say I was included because I am mentioned (in the thread). Now you make an unfounded claim about what I think to justify my inclusion. The contradictory positions have been taken to accomodate you.

Do you not yet understand why I made the initial reply to your post and why I pointed out that your post had nothing to do with either of the topics I was apart of?

iron maiden: <Spassky69><Hey Acirce, clocked, and Iron maiden, I guess I'm also RisingChamp due to your theory.> I never said anything about you creating multiple screen names, so please quit putting words in my mouth.

For what it's worth, I think Moro is the Larsen of modern times: he beats weaker players like redheaded stepchildren, but he doesn't fare too well against the superelite. Now can we please halt this discussion, or at least move it off Judit's page? It seems to be leading to nothing but hurt feelings and paranoid accusations. Besides, Corus is coming up in two months, and that should settle everything. :-)

clocked: <RisingChamp> I made the inconsistent comment based on what you had provided. This was before you explained your reason for directly mentioning me. Based on your belief, I agree that you were not inconsistent. However, I believe your reason is without basis.

<Morozevich cannot be considered elite(thats what I got from all your posts)>

iron maiden: <ruy> Corus starts on January 14th and ends on the 30th, according to http://www.coruschess.com/?r=. I'm pretty sure chessgames.com will broadcast, but if not, you'll be able to find the games almost anywhere.

cu8sfan: <what's with 8 instead of b> I knew this was coming! I almost wanted to write something myself. It is certanly more difficult to intend to write a "b" and hitting the "8" key by accident. My fingers would have to be about three inches thick! (-:

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